MORTAR & PESTLE, BURTON MOUND SITE, SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA

Mortar

Height:  3 ½”

Rim-Diameter:  5 ½”

Grind Hole:  2 ¼”

Weight:  5 lbs  12.6 oz

Pestle

Length: 4 ¼”

Width:  2 ½”

Weight:  1 lb 4.6 oz

Over the years the descendants of the people near the original Burton Mound excavation have contacted me to share their personal collections.  The current listing is from this connection.

This mortar & pestle came from an ancient coastal site near Santa Barbara. They were first uncovered in the early 20^th century southwest of Mission Creek. The assemblage has remained intact and stored until this site acquired them from  private hands.

The location of these stone remains is extremely important for it is the site of what became known as the Burton Mound—one of the most important coastal mounds in California prehistory.

Burton Mound was located a bit inland from the current West Beach in Santa Barbara.  The “mound” site rose about 30 feet above the former swampy area. 

Today, an apartment complex covers the site!

With the founding of the Presidio (a Spanish military installation), in 1782, this specific spot was one of the largest Chumash villages on the California Coast.  (See contemporary photo showing the approximate location of Burton Mound—at the end of a tree-lined path up from West Cabrillo Boulevard near West Beach, roughly identified today as Burton Circle.  Mission Creek can also be seen northeast of Burton Circle. Early 1800s image of Santa Barbara and mound from the ocean.  Excavation site plan of mound, by John Harrington).

The 1769 Gaspar de Portol expedition recorded a brief description of this particular village, known as Syutun, as the group moved up along the coast:

“This was the most populous of all the towns that we, so far, had seen; we estimated that it might contain more than 600 souls. In no other place had we met natives so affectionate and good natured.”

In the 1920s, the site of the neighboring Chumash village and Burton Mound were excavated and MANY similar stone tools/artifacts were revealed. 

(In the accompanying historical photo we see Professor John P. Harrington and colleague, David Banks Rogers, standing in front of a small assortment of stone implements from their preliminary dig; another historical photo shows “relics unearthed” at the mound.  Careful examination of this—and other historical photographs—reveals very similar to the artifact listed here)

This mortar & pestle fit right into the evident passion the Syutun villagers had for different types of stone implements! 

The mortar is a dense receptacle with a relatively shallow, yet wide grind hole.  The patina along the bottom of the grind hole is somewhat rough.  Close examination of the mortar’s in- side, outside walls and bottom show a brownish pigment of some type—no doubt used in various Chumash ceremonies. There are also stone removal scars. 

This entire mortar is somewhat strange—it is somewhat bottom heavy, again with a very shallow grind hole, indicating it wasn’t a “typical” mortar used in grinding much material.  This is another indication of the absolute strangeness of the ancient people living and utilizing this earthen mound.

Today, one is hard pressed to see beyond the modern houses, businesses, concrete/asphalt—and the modern apartment!  But know that this specific spot was used by the ancient Chumash for thousands of years.  They lived, laughed, loved and crafted/traded for bizarre stone bowls and mortars.

This is a RARE and UNIQUE opportunity to own a tiny piece of Southern California history.

Harrington went on to ship almost all of the excavated stone artifacts to Cambridge but some of the stone tools apparently didn’t make it to Massachusetts.  This was a typical problem after such bounties of relics were dug up during this time.  Many found their way into local personal collections.

Minor chinks/soil pitting. Evidence of sand abrasion